How Missing Top 25 Poll Sets Up Oklahoma State Return — With a Texas Tech Win
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A huge win over Kansas State no matter how impressive was going to vault the Oklahoma State Cowboys back in the Top 25.
The Cowboys (6-3, 4-2 in Big 12) are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023 with their 66-28 win over the Wildcats. They’re on the outside looking in when it comes to the race for the Big 12 Championship game but crashing that party isn’t out of the question.
But the win didn’t make much of a dent for the Cowboys in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 released on Sunday. The coaches gave the Cowboys 27 votes and the AP voters gave the Cowboys 21 votes.
But it sets OSU up for a potential return next Sunday — with a win over Texas Tech, that is.
USA Today Top 25
The Cowboys did get more votes than last week, when they received nine votes from the coaches that vote, which includes Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris. So it was an 18-point boost from last week.
The Big 12 announced on Sunday that the Cowboys and the Red Raiders (8-1, 4-1) will play at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN. That’s the same game time the Red Raiders received when it played the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, a game that ended with a 53-48 win and bled well past midnight central time.
The Cowboys got to watch that game on the plane ride back to Stillwater after Saturday’s win and while Red Raiders quarterback Thomas Castellanos had a huge game, the defense was steamrolled by WVU’s 1-2 punch of quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook. The Cowboys felt the same way when they faced the pair in Morgantown in Week 4.
Previous Weeks
Preseason: 22 votes
Week 1: No votes
Week 2: 16 votes
Week 3: 36 votes
Week 4: 126 votes
Week 5: 187 votes
Week 6: No. 20 (403 votes)
Week 7: 87 votes
Week 8: 120 votes
Week 9: 9 votes
Week 10: 27 votes
AP Top 25 Poll
The Cowboys received just three votes last week from the AP voters and that number went up by 18 votes. The Red Raiders, who were No. 10 in the coaches poll, were No. 10 in the AP Top 25. That sets up a chance for the Cowboys to beat their second ranked opponent of the season. However, a win over Tech is no guarantee the Cowboys move into either poll. But this deep in the season there are far fewer questions about whether OSU is a good team or not.
When Oklahoma State beat Oregon in Week 2, the Cowboys received votes in both polls but were not ranked. The loss to Tulsa was still fresh in voters’ minds. OSU has a larger body of work now and will be two weeks removed from the loss to Iowa State. A win over the Red Raiders, depending upon how convincing it is, might clear the path back to the polls.
In Saturday’s game, quarterback Drew Mestemaker accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, one rushing and one receiving) while running back Caleb Hawkins accounted for four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).
Previous Weeks
Preseason: 8 votes
Week 1: No votes
Week 2: 36 votes
Week 3: 50 votes
Week 4: No. 19 (345 votes)
Week 5: No. 18 (477 votes)
Week 6: No. 18 (604 votes)
Week 7: 128 votes
Week 8: No. 24 (180 votes)
Week 9: 3 votes
Week 10: 21 votes.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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